Veni, Vidi, Vici...

So, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has come and...well, will it EVER be gone? Based on what I've seen (haven't played it yet, though I look to eliminate that anomaly this evening at a gaming party), the multiplayer features of this game should keep trigger-finger gamers entertained for at least as long as the first Modern Warfare game did - which is to say that it's gonna be around for a long time. Its record-shattering sales would also seem to suggest that, as a franchise, Activision, the game's publisher, has something of a sales juggernaut on its hands.

IMO, the last time the gaming world had so hotly anticipated a gaming title was when Halo 2 was released. Ironically enough, I'd say the positive reception of Halo 2 from both critics and gamers mirrors the reception of MW2 thus far, as well. The criticism of MW2's single-player campaign seem vaguely reminiscient of the complaints regarding Halo 2 when it was first released, and, let's face it, the praise of the multiplayer features of both of these games needs no citation.

But is it REALLY as good as everyone claims it is? I'll be sure to proffer my own assessment after tonight, but what's everyone else feeling about this game?

After a Long Hiatus...

I return to the blogging world! Praised be Jesus Christ Now and Forever!

For those wondering about the latest excuse for my extended absence, well...it's pretty much what any reader of the blog has come to expect. As inevtiably happens with the beginning of a new Academic Term at a major University, I've been inundated with homework. Additionlly, with the formational expectations and various obligations that come with seminary living, I would hope that the readership would understand just how and why blogging naturally has fallen a bit to the wayside during the past month-and-a-half. My Xbox LIVE Gold Account also expired, meaning I'm no longer available to play any Rock Band, Halo, and/or Soul Calibur until furthur notice. My apologies to those who inquired about my gamertag and/or availability for online gaming - at some point, I plan to foray back into the great unknown realms of Xbox LIVE again, and I'll let you all know when that joyous day arrives.

Rather than perennially cursing darkness, however, allow to be a bit of a lightbearer: I've been bitten by the Pokemon bug again, and I managed to get my DS connected to Loyola's lovely wifi network. Feel free to e-mail me or comment below if you want my friendcode, be it for pokemon or any other game!

Off to class! See y'all later! May the Souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. AMEN!

Imagination Station

Something I frequently hear from video game detractors of all varieties is the claim that video games as a collective whole "stifle the imagination."

Here's a strawman to refute that claim: Scribblenauts, the new DS platforming/adventure title that should be available at most United States retailers as of the day of this posting.

Normally, I would offer the readership a quick soundbite about the game, but nothing I could say describes the game as well as this video:



Interesting, no?

How Much is too Much?

It's Labor Day Weekend - and a Sunday - so any impetus to do homework is being shoved aside in favor of the normal weekend festivities. Having already played Rock Band quite extensively this weekend, however, the scrupulousity is setting in, and what would normally be a PERFECT afternoon for video gaming is currently being spent on writing this blog post. I'm half of a mind to go home for the afternoon, as well, even though I know that there is absolutely nothing constructive for me to do back there, either, save a quick hello to my family and the acquiescence of a new DDR mat that, despite being purchased for usage here at St. Joseph's, is currently sitting at home the dining room in an unopened box.

The thing is, I know that when I have to face the weekday workload again, I'm going to want to do ANYTHING to avoid it. I'll surf the internet instead of reading Sense and Sensibility, and I'll probably find myself battling virtual demons in Soul Calibur IV instead of making sure my own soul is primed and pumped for the spiritual battles of daily seminary living.

Grrrrr...Lord Jesus, lead this blind and deaf servant to the healing vision of your glory! AMEN!

What Video Games Do Seminarians and Priests Play?

Being a seminarian myself, I'm acutely aware of the peculiar curiosity that Catholics and non-Catholics alike have regarding the "daily grind" of seminary living. While there are certainly many differences between the life of a seminarian and your average college-age young adult (more, I'd wager, than the moratorium on dating that comes with the job description), here's one similiarity that won't surprise readers of this blog: both seminarian and non-seminarian alike LOVE video games!

Here's a sampling of the video games I've played/seen people playing within the past week or so at St. Joseph College Seminary, where I live and study 9 months of the year:


Far Cry 2

Call of Duty 4

Soul Calibur IV

Mortal Combat vs. DC Universe

Rock Band 2

Tales of Vesperia

Star Ocean 4

Civilization Revolution


...and that's ONLY counting Xbox 360 games. I am one of 6 priests and/or seminarians who owns one, and living in community makes it easy for us to keep what I call a "diversified gaming portfolio" - a vast collection of video game titles of many different genres. It saves money, too; you can bet that at least of one of us is paying attention when a high-profile game is about to be released!

One of the guys here has a PS3, another has a PSP, and at least one of my brother seminarians has a Nintendo DS, as well. PC gaming, too, has something of a following here; we've got at least one Half-Life/Portal PC player in our ranks.

One thing I'm not seeing: MMO's. I can't stand the accursed genre myself; maybe the other guys steer clear of the genre to avoid the perils of online game addiction? Whatever the reason, gaming is alive and well at at least one college seminary in the country. How's that for a snapshot of seminary living?

Wii Gamers! Buy this game!

It's called Mercury Meltdown Revolution, and I found it at Gamestop yesterday for $10. Knowing the stellar reviews the game has received from critics and fans alike, I bought it - without having any real idea of what the game would be like. I hadn't even seen a screenshot before!

I've played it for all of 30 minutes. It's easily worth the $10 I spent, and though I'm a little miffed that I need to unlock the multiplayer "party games," the single-player game is more than enjoyable enough in it's own right; I'd play through it with or without the promise of unlockable mini-games (doesn't the wii have enough of those already, anyway?).

Anyone out there ever play with one of these as a kid?



The game is basically like that, except the game is more like an obstacle course than a labyrinth. There's some nifty puzzles to solve, too.

Here's a comparison for the gaming initiated: it's pretty much everything Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz should have been, but wasn't. The fact that it's STILL cheaper than the aforementioned gaming disappointment of the millenia just goes to show you how that quality gaming on a budget is still possible in this day and age.

Viva Mercury Meltdown!

For Those Who Still Think that Video Games have no Spiritual Value...

"One born of human flesh man,
man is now a race of some power
you, son of man,
must face the power you hold
and you must face your destiny as well...

Though your days be peaceful, the fated time draws near
I am your judgment
I sundered the tongues of your fathers
and shattered their arrogant power
so long as the Lord does not live in you, all living beings hold darkness in their hearts
if you truly wish to be yourself, then rise and fight the darkness within - the demon inside!
If you have the will to challenge your destiny, son of man, state your name!"

Ok, so it's not like this is like an ultra-deep theological exegesis or anything, but in all honesty, I've heard homilies at mass with less "spiritual value" than these two paragraphs. Reminds me of some of the psalms, actually. Perhaps my Catholic and Christian readers can chime in with their thoughts?

Anyway, here's the game from which the above monologue can be found:



Basically, the game's about a demon invasion in Tokyo. You play as a character who is given a handheld computer that is able to summon other demons to stave off the demon invasion in the city.

The occult thematic is obviously strong with this one; I find the theme and imagery somewhat disconcerting, but not being much of an expert on occult-related matters, I've had to rely on information from more learned sources than myself about just what exactly I should "watch out for" when I'm playing a game like this. I'm hoping to see more of the kind of stuff from the aforementioned excerpt as I play through it; apparently the game has multiple endings depending on what you do throughout the course of the game, so I may or may not find what I'm looking for. The game system itself, irrespective of the graphics, story, characters, music, and the like, is actually really, really fantastic; it's basically a "grid-based strategy" game (think chess) with the standard role-playing conventions one would associate with a Final Fantasy game. Either of these solitary game elements would probably make for an acceptable, though not exemplary, gaming experience, but they meshed peculiarly well in this game. Kudos to Atlus for creating a solid, if not spectacular, gameplay system.

I hope to have more to share about this game in a future post - which will most likely have to wait until the end of the week, as I'm Milwaukee bound tonight to visit some brother seminarians. St. Nicodemus, ora pro nobis!

Hate goes LIVE!

Though the reception of "hate mail" is certainly not something exclusive to Christian circles, it seems to me that Christians (especially in the age of the neo-atheist/secularist/Dawkins-lover types) are more often on the receiving end of the hate than anything else. As a Catholic, I'm actually not bothered by it; in fact, it has this paradoxical effect of boosting my ego rather than having the intended effect of dragging me down. Why?

"Blessed are you when others insult and hate you and ostracize you,for my sake" (Luke 6:22)

Heck, the main problem with most of the "hate mail" I've received is that it tends to instill a wrongful sense of pride; it's all too easy to make the hate mail to excuse myself from the other daily devotions that bring me closer to God; while the reaction of the Christian is never strictly "Sweet! Hate Mail! Kingdom of God here I come!" (it's more like, "OOO! Hate mail! I must be doing something right!"), it's easy to get carried away. Being the target of hate mail may be a very minor form of martyrdom, but it's not like I've actually been murdered for the faith or anything, and letting it "go to my head," as it were, really doesn't make it a martyrdom at all.

Case in point? Well, this morning, some guy I played in 1 vs. 100 LIVE last night (I recognized his gamertag) sent me two hate messages (one written, one voiced). The reason for the message isn't clear, as he didn't actually specify has such in his message. Was it because I outscored him in the game? Possibly, though I can't recall if I actually DID outscore him. I'm of the opinion that he did it because of the description on my gamertag: "Contributor for Catholic Video Gamers blog." So what do I do in response? I write this blog post bragging about it!

Pride scrupulosity notwithstanding, it would be nice to have an experience online where there's a genuine sense of community being fostered. Clearly, hate mail ain't gonna make that happen, folks. Still, not all is lost. I tried out Blazblue online for the first time last night before my 1 Vs.100 fiasco, and my opponent, a person with the gamertag "TRU CHRISTIAN," kindly accepted my friend request posthaste. Thank you, sir! Pity others can't have your common sense and decency, regardless of whether or not they share your worldview!

Xbox Live: (Too) Great Expections?

It's been less than a week since I signed up for my free one-month Xbox LIVE "gold" membership, and I'm wondering if I'm already at the point where I have, more or less, "seen all there is to see." Sure, Soul Calibur IV online is awesome, if only because I have an actual human being playing against me instead of some CPU controlled artificial intelligence (not to mention nabbing some of those completely useless but strangely desirable "Achievements"!). Still, it's hard to make friends with people you're in contact with for all of 5 minutes at most, and when half of them don't bother to talk to you (those headsets came with the XBOX for free, people! Why not USE them?), it oftentimes feels as though I may as well be playing the CPU in the single player campaign, anyway.

I DID make sure to check for available "freebies" for the few games I own that actually have free downloadable content; I nabbed the free gel set for Tales of Vesperia as well as the "Portal Song" for Rock Band 2. Heck, whiny as this post is, LIVE will probably be worth it for that song alone. My brother seminarians are quite the Portal/Half-Life enthusiasts, and considering all the fun we've had just jammin' to Livin' On a Prayer, I'm sure the lyrics to that dainty little ditty will soon become something of a seminary MEME, if they aren't already!

The other unexpected (underutilized?) benefit of XBOX Live is the fact that I can talk to any of my "friends" (would it really be fair to call it Xbox LIVE if it didn't have a certain "networking" aspect to it?) free of charge. No need to rack up a huge phone bill when you can pay $60 bucks a year to chat with your friends via headset with no strings attached!

Still, all of those little "perks" are really secondary to what I was expecting on XBOX Live: an actual community of gamers. I suppose I shouldn't have been so naive, and I certainly don't regret the $100 I paid for that wireless router, but I like to think the "gaming community" has more to offer than bragging rights and a perpetual deluge of foul language and tasteless humor. Really now, is HALO 3 some important that you need to mouth off at everyone just because you/your team lost (I'm one to talk; my brothers back at home will gladly show me to be quite the hypocrite, as I have had my share of outraged outbursts when I've lost rounds of Mario Kart and Smash Bros., among many other games)?

There's no real "common thread" binding everyone together on LIVE other than, well...that fact that they're on LIVE? Not much of "guiding light," is it (unless we're talking RROD...I know, I know, stupid, stupid joke)? There's not really ANYTHING here beyond facing the guy from L.A. who's willing to make small talk as he COMPLETELY OBLITERATES ME in Soul Calibur IV.

Am I being too hasty? Yes, but pardon me for having to perform a bit of a reality check. People without LIVE: it's not the end of the world. You can do without the achievements, and you can always go over to your friends' house to play video games, anyway. Plus, ya know, you may actually end up chit-chatting about something semi-interesting that way - you know, something that may actually bring you both closer to the One who made You?

Anyway, enough ranting for now. A surprisingly fun DS RPG has been occupying my spare time for the past two days, and with any luck I'll be able to write a blurb about it sooner rather than later. Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for me!

I've Done it, but It's Doing Me In!

After 3 years of owning an Xbox 360, I am finally, yes, FINALLY on Xbox LIVE! Gamertag is Ando Commando 4; don't hesitate to add me if you're a frequent reader of the blog! I'd love to meet up with the readership, especially those of you who share an interest in "Catholic" gaming. Anyone up for some Rock Band 2? I'm not bad on guitar...

Now if only I could avert my eyes from Blazblue: Calamity Trigger enough to actually play some games I'm actually good at. I'm not letting the free month of Gold membership go to waste, and truth be told, Blazblue has such a steep learning curve (note to ARC System Works: please put in a tutorial next time! Never has a fighting game needed one more than Blazblue!) that I'm nearly convinced to put it away until I finish off some of the older games (say, Culdcept Saga and Tales of Vesperia) that have been left untouched for quite awhile now. There IS a bonus DVD that includes fighting strategies for the uninitiated...perhaps I'll give that a whirl tonight. Still, with only a month of online gaming until I need to fork over the big bucks, wasting any time on single-player games seems a bit silly. It's like anything else in this world: What's the point in having it if you're not going to use it? The classic biblical parable of the men and the talents holds true for video games too. Go figure!

The flip side of the coin, of course, is ensuring that my love of video games doesn't become an addiction. Too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing, and ANYTHING, video games included, can become a barrier to our relationship with Christ if we become too attached to them. Oftentimes during this summer, I've deliberately avoided video games if I hadn't done some spiritual reading or praying yet that day...and if work was around, well, that Xbox was staying unplugged until that work was finished (too bad I can't say the same for my computer! Alas, Microsoft Word and my favorite gaming websites and blogs are separated by merely a few clicks, and the temptation is too muc to bear most of the time).

But I still believe in the mission of this blog. If for everything there is a season, and a time and a place under heaven, as scripture says, why can't there be time for video games? And why can't it be more than mere recreation (as worthy as that moral end may be)? Some have ridiculed this blog's "motto" ("Gaming for the Greater Glory of God"), but I sincerely believe in that little slogan, hokey and tepid as it may sound.

Then again, I COULD just be trying to redeem the unredeemable. I can march around all day claiming that my discernment led me to starting this blog, but as many a serious Christian will tell you (Catholic or not), it's all too easy to claim that something is "God's will" when it is really just what Andy Kirchoff's wishes God's will was. Others (both commenters on this blog and some friends of mine that I know outside of cyberspace) think that I'm trying to artificially "Catholicize" something, ham-fisting my religion into something that really has no place for it. Antonin Scalia once said that there's no particularly "Catholic" way of making judicial decisions anymore than there is a "Catholic" way of making a hamburger; as much as I disagree, I'm sure many readers probably share similar sentiments.

Still, at the end of the day, it is as the Benedictines say (hattip to the homily I heard this past weekend!): "Ut in omnibus glorificetur deus." Translation? "In all things, may God be glorified." If Popes and Bishops have no problem with using media for this end (and the Decree Inter Mirifica should be enough to demonstrate this to anyone beyond a shadow of a doubt), then I see no reason that games should be unincluded. St. Benedict, ora pro nobis!

Gone for a Few days...

I'm on retreat with my brother seminarians until Friday, and with my work schedule as it stands, playing any video game, let alone blogging about them, is probably going to have to wait until Saturday morning or Sunday.

HOWEVER...

I am pleased to report that, after doing a bit of research, and listening to the input of those who kindly commented on last week's post, I mosied on over to a nearby Gamestop to pick up a Wireless Internet Adapter. Xbox LIVE is so close I can almost taste it!

If any readers would like to meet up with me online, feel free to drop a comment or e-mail me your LIVE account name, and I'll add you to my "friends list" whenever I get the chance. I'm also more than open to suggestions as to what games I should try out first; I've heard Culdcept Saga is practically an online wasteland now (was it ever really a gamer's stomping grounds, anyway?), but I find it hard to believe the online gaming scenes of "big-name" titles like Soul Calibur and Rock Band 2 ever really die out. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated, though I can't promise that the advice you give will necessarily be heeded. Thank you again to all who offered sound advice to my inquiries last week! I am in no small way now Xbox LIVE bound because of you!

Culdcept Saga Player Diary

For those wondering about my recent dearth of postings (though it's really nothing new for this blog; I've gone spans of months without any new updates), it's only because playing this game to any meaningful extent takes eons:



Most gaming websites describe this game as "Monopoly meets Magic: The Gathering" or something to that effect. I think this is a fairly good summation that gets the "gist" of the game, for better or for worse. For those of you who don't know what "Magic: The Gathering" is, think Yu-Gi-Oh! with a more mature, "edgy" feel to it (though many hardcore gamers would certainly take great offense to this comparison). It's basically the most well-known card game variation of "monster A VS. monster B."

So how do you play Monopoly while micromanaging a complicated ruleset for monster battling? Well, basically, instead of "buying" properties (think Monopoly), you place one of your monsters on the space to guard it. When your opponent lands on one of your "properties," instead of paying "rent," your opponent can try to kill the monster guarding the property. If they succeed, it's theirs, and needless to say, you're not getting anything from them!

Things get more complicated once magic spells, special spaces on the game board, and "symbols" start entering the mix. The game does a good job of gradually introducing these finer nuances, but it also means that I can't really write too much about the game because I haven't played enough to really have an informed opinion about it! This game demands quite a bit of attention and time to be played "correctly," and this makes writing about it all the more difficult.

Not that I'm complaining (on the contrary, the more I play this game, the more rewarding it becomes), but it would be nice to find a way to play this game in intervals of less than 2-3 uninterrupted hours. The game has a "suspend" option, but it severely cuts down the payoff of victory if you elect to utilize it; you aren't able to save replays of your game, and you won't get the extra costume prizes for your character. I'm not sure if it has any effect on the card prizes, though. The most annoying part, really, is that it's hard to really "get back into the game" once you've resumed a suspended game. I'm willing to forgive the rather sparse graphical presentation of Culdcept, but the rather convoluted menu system makes accessing vital information about the game too much of a hassle. When my last game session was from hours or even days prior, and all the plans I had concocted at the time are buried deep in the recesses of my ever-failing memory, this information is crucial. It also doesn't help that the game's index doesn't include descriptors of some of the spell effects/monster abilities that CPU opponents frequently employ, meaning that "trial and error" experimentation becomes a necessary part of learning to play this game. At the very least, the game could allow me some time to actually slow down the opponent's play speed. Sadly, no such options exist.

Still, despite the lack of functionality in the game's menus, the silly and inane excuse for a "story" (and to think that I thought it couldn't get worse than Star Ocean!), and the subpar presentation, the "core" game is entertaining enough to warrant slogging through single games of 2.5 hours or more, even against CPU opponents (the game has some multiplayer features, including online play, but obviously, I haven't had the chance to try it yet). It's also reasonably inexpensive; I bought it for $40 when it was first released, and I've seen new copies at game stores for $19.99. The challenging gameplay mechanics and the dark themes (some of the card art is a bit too explicit for the youngsters, as well) prevent me from labeling it as "kid-friendly," though I find it hard to believe that the story, with its new-age pagan mythos and sometimes sultry character art, is going to be much of a problem for anyone's spiritual well-being. The long hours spent playing the game are far more likely to exact some real negative consequences...but that's what the virtue of temperance is for. St. Basilides, St. Ambrose, and St. Benedict, pray for us!

Fellow Gamers! A Request!

After purchasing Knights in the Nightmare and Dragon Quest Swords last week, I foolishly forgot to inquire about a "wireless internet adapter" or some doohickey with a similar-sounding name for the Xbox 360 that lets me use a wifi connection to access Xbox LIVE. It's hard to believe I've owned an Xbox 360 for upwards of 3 years now and I STILL haven't been able to get on LIVE! That will change once I get my grimy gaming hands on this adapter thingamajig (hopefully!) Only problem: I don't know where to start looking for a good deal on this particular item (no surprise if I don't even know what the heck this thing is called, hence why I'm also refraining from googling about it, at least for now. St. Jude and St. Anthony, pray for me!) I'll probably cross-post this request on some gaming forums I visit regularly, but as this is my blog is my primary communication with the gaming universe these days, I'd be doing myself no favors if I didn't ask the readers here for some help. So, in brief:

1) Where can I find one of these things?
2) What's it gonna cost me?

In the meantime, my brothers back home are inquiring about HD Component Cables for the Wii; I'm slightly more familiar with this item (in fact, I recall seeing some "third-party" produced cables for this peculiar purpose while shopping at Sam's Club with my dad), but the Nintendo-produced, "first-party" cables were no where to be seen. I've heard that Nintendo currently only sells them online; is this true? I'm not much for third-party gaming supplies, though I certainly won't speak for my brothers; at this point, they'd probably take a functional, third-party device of questionable longevity and quality over nothing at all.

Detailed responses to either or both requests are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

UPDATE: So I went to Gamestop today, bought $99.20 worth of games and completely forgot to ask about either the cables or the adapter. ARGH!!!

We're St. Blog's Parishioners!

It's official: Catholic Video Gamers is now registered at Saint Blogs' Parish, the online Catholic blog directory! This should make it far easier for the writers and readers in the Catholic blogosphere to find us, as we'll now be listed in the St. Blog's Parish aggregator, appear in their search engine, and have an official listing in their extensive directory.

It's my hope that membership at St. Blogs' will garner some attention from faithful Catholics who, thus far, have constituted a minority of this blog's followers and readers. Catholic Video Gamers began in large part because of a perceived lack of attention for the video game entertainment medium on the part of Catholics, and the participation of St. blog's "parishioners" should remedy this; they'll be a excellent supplement to the already active voices from the gaming culture that have been reading, linking, and commenting on this blog during the past few weeks.

Glory to God in the highest! St. Vincent Kaun, pray for us and the success of this blog!

Move Over Final Fantasy XIV...

Enter the real game of the show for e3 2009 - Star Wars: The Old Republic:



click here to view the incredible first trailer!

How did I miss this? Granted, there's no gameplay footage, but if an on-again, off-again Star Wars "fan" like me was willing to commit to purchasing this game on its release day, I can only imagine what the real Star Wars enthusiasts feel.

Then my brother curtly told me that this game, like FFXIV, is an MMO ("massively-multiplayer-online" game).

"You have been deceived." Indeed.

Why oh why must the most graphically impressive games be of a genre I absolutely despise? Well, ces't le vi. There are plenty of other games I'm looking forward to...like, say, the Nintendo DS role-playing game Infinite Space (which just released in Japan to a flurry of positive press and premiering at the very top of the weekly video games sales charts), or the intriguing , Let's Tap! for the Wii (a likely candidate for the next "kid-friendly games, parent-friendly prices" post, if nothing else), both of which happen to be published by Nintendo's former archcompetitor, Sega.

Unlike last summer, which proved to be quite the boon for gamers (high-profile video game releases of just about every imaginable genre graced just about every prominent piece of gaming hardware), this summer does look to be a tad on the slow side - which is probably better for an overweight gamehead like me, anyway. Gotta get some form of exercise besides Dance Dance Revolution, after all! Plus, with the Year of the Priest commencing today, one would think a seminarian would find something more Christ-like than lounging around playing video games all day.

So, to my fellow gamers - with the gaming pipeline so thin in the coming months, what do you plan on doing to beat the heat? What future releases do you have your eyes on?

St. Isidore, St. Gabriel, and St. John Vianney, pray for us!

Final Thoughts on "Dante-Gate," Forgiveness, & an Apology

Quite a bit of the media circus that's pitched its tent on this blog over the past week or so has made the disparity between the Catholic doctrine of forgiveness of sins and the alleged lack of it thereof in my blog post into something of a premiere attraction. Both the combox here and some of the actual articles published by various gaming websites contained allegations that I had failed in my Christian obligation to show mercy/forgive/"turn the other cheek."

Though I did address this issue (among many others) in the combox myself, after reading Mark Shea's brilliant article on the subject today, I've come to the conclusion that I did myself and all readers a disservice when I claimed that "If EA comes out with an apology of some sort, I'll gladly extend my own olive branch." Those who accuse me of being lacking in the charity department after reading that particular comment do so with considerable merit. Whoever made the decision to perform that ludicrous stunt at EA deserves my forgiveness, even if (especially if!) they don't acknowledge their own petty wrongdoing. Rest assured, they have it. I owe everyone an apology for not doing so sooner, including EA. Mea Culpa. To the gaming journalists and combox warriors who deliberately and/or scurrilously distorted the meaning of my posting for your own ends (which, for the record, I find to be far more offensive than EA's mock-protest): this same mercy applies to you, too.

HOWEVER --- "What I have written, I have written." I offer no apologies for the tone or the content of the blog post itself, with a slight exception that perhaps my diction could have clearer (my descriptors left far too many people feeling slighted, most of whom were not the intended recipients of my comments). I think I've said enough in regards to the actual content in the comments already, so I'll let this sleeping dog lie down and die now. I hope Mark Shea's article (do take the time to read it! It's long but well worth your time!) and my subsequent apology are sufficient door-closers for the manufactured controversy centered around that particular posting once and for all. Peace and God Bless!

St. Isidore and St. Ranieri, pray for us!

Electronic Arts pulls Anti-Christian Stunt to Promote "Dante's Inferno" Video Game

h/t American Papist

Ok, look Electronic Arts, as much as the hardcore gaming community is full of the risible self-parodies known as the "freethinking" - the Richard Dawkins-loving, fundamentalist atheist, "I'm-so-much-smarter-than-you-are-because-I-don't-believe-in-God" types, I doubt that even they would actually be more likely to buy a game because they *think* that their ideological foes (the equally risible Fundamentalist Creationist, anti-Catholic, evangelical "Christians") happen to hate it. Gamers of all varieties will buy this product if its, well, actually a good game. So instead of engaging in a shamelessly anti-Christian stunt to promote your poor excuse of a product, maybe you ought to work on making this game, you know, something better than a blatant God of War rip-off and make it, ya know, something worthwhile?

Just saying...

UPDATE: InsideCatholic's Margaret Cabaniss has posted her own take on the whole affair here.

What's Within Your Soul?

The above is the question posed as part of the advertising campaign for Namco's Soul Calibur IV, a video game available for the Xbox 360 and Ps3 as of July of last year. It has occupied a gargantuan amount of my "gaming" time since I bought it last August, and while I don't have any way of knowing precisely how many hours I've spent playing it (unlike many other games, Soul Calibur lacks an in-game "clock" that tracks the amount of time you've been playing), I suspect I may have even clocked in more hours with this game than I have with all other games I've played for the past 9 months combined. For those interested in a fairly liberal estimation, however, consider that Star Ocean 4 alone took me a good 40+ hours to complete - and that's just one game among many I've been playing and continue to play even now. Needless to say, we're talking about some truly copious amounts of play time with just one solitary title. So why wait wait until now to provide a write-up of my take on the game?

Suffice it say, despite that I've ventured through almost everything the game has to offer - and there's a gargantuan amount of content here - writing about a fighting game is not something I've had to do before. My admission that I even happen to like this particular game, let alone this particular genre, is bound to get this Catholic gamer some "cocked-eyebrow" glances (er, comments) for fellow faithful, and for good reason. The entire point of this game, after all, is essentially to "K.O" the other guy, and while the violence in this game certainly isn't of the spill-your-guts gorefest Mortal Kombat variety, it's still gratuitous enough to merit a "T for Teen" ESRB rating - and enough to give any Catholic pause. To quote The Holy Father, "any trend to produce programs and products - including animated films and video games - which in the name of entertainment exalt violence and portray anti-social behavior or the trivialization of human sexuality, is a perversion." Even in a game like Soul Calibur, where the line between good and evil is clearly demarcated ("Soul Calibur" itself is the name of a sword that is supposed to be the manifestation of pure goodness, while "Soul Edge" is the weapon embodying pure evil; the game itself is set on the backdrop of world history and the various events throughout time that, unbeknownst to mostly everyone, are caused by the conflict between these two swords), the fact that:

a) both good and evil are represented by a weapon, a tool of destruction;
b) the game itself really does boil down to virtually knocking the stuffing outta the other guy/gal who's trying their utmost to do the same to you;

is certainly problematic irrespective of the rest of the game's virtues.

More problematic in my opinion, however, is the game's treatment of sexuality. Let's just say that "scantily clad" is a VERY MINIMALISTIC way to describe the depiction of certain female fighters in this game. It is clearly meant to attract the playboy generation, and, as I wrote in a post last year, it nearly stopped me from buying the game, if only to protest what I thought was not only in terribly poor taste, but an ostensibly offensive objectification of the human body. Now there are ways to avoid some of the naughtier bits - the game actually allows the players to purchase different armor and weapons for the characters, with each costume affecting different battle parameters. It's not difficult to customize characters so that this particularly unfortunate content shouldn't pose a problem.

So just what exactly redeems this game, anyway? Well, I didn't find the concept of "fighting" in and of itself to be particularly problematic, not being a pacifist. As creatures, we're actively engaged, whether we like it or not, in a battle between good and evil; the various characters in the game often find themselves unwilling participants in the same struggle. I found this particular premise to be particularly compelling when I first played Soul Calibur II on the Gamecube, and even now, as a 20-something seminarian, I STILL do. The fact that the game actually attempts to provide some characterization (well, what qualifies as "interesting" when it comes to video games, anyway) also adds to this game's appeal; I'm sure I'm not the only one who was compelled to play the games "story" mode just to see what exactly happens to these characters as they play their part in the battle between good and evil. Sure, the game has its fair share of cheesy, B-movie dialogue, too, but this actually is for the better, as well, as it keeps the game from becoming too verbose and pretentious.

The game itself is also really, really fun to play. Whether I was clashing virtual weapons with CPU foes or battling with my brother seminarians, I had plenty of moments of distraught frustration after harsh losses alongside the triumphant satisfaction emanating from moments of victory. Heck, there were some even some moments of shock and laughter thrown into the mix (especially with Star Wars' very own Yoda making a guest appearance as a playable character - just imagine the possibilities!). Shallow as it may sound, the game possesses a certain intensity (due in no small part to the game's high production values - this game looks and sounds like a movie more often than not!) that ensures that emotions run high for anyone watching of playing the game. This is both a boon and a bane for prospective game players; I suspect those that have a particularly competitive edge may find this game a little too much of a near occasion of sin (seriously! If you play the game you'll see what I mean!). Still, outside of the perennial favorite fighting game Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii, I think that this particular fighting game rewards practice without being too complicated for people who have never picked up a game controller in their lives (unlike, say, more "niche" fighting game series like Guilty Gear). It strikes just the right balance it terms of challenging and intuitive gameplay with an atmosphere that really lends an "epic" sensation to the experience. In short, it's FUN!

While I certainly WOULD NOT recommend Soul Calibur to just anyone, I think there's enough here where a mature teen could easily play this title without much worry of spiritual danger, and a younger one could probably play along with some older siblings or parents' supervision. St. Paul admonishes his fellow Christians to "fight the good fight" in his letter to Timothy; perhaps Soul Calibur IV has a little to say about attaining the crown of righteousness? I'm really not sure if it's that much of a stretch to say so...

UPDATE: Well, turns out there *is* an in-game clock in the game's "Battle Records" submenu. Apparently I've played over 147 hours!

Game of the Show

If only this game:

A) Was not an MMO;
B) Was also releasing on the Xbox 360.

Maybe it's a tad bit premature, but Final Fantasy XIV is my Game of the Show for e3 2009 thus far.

Some screens for those who don't know what I'm talking about:





As they say, a picture's worth a thousand words.

Dan Akroyd Hopes "Ghostbusters" Video Game Lays Groundwork for New Movie

Interesting Article from the "Arts and Entertainment" Section of today's LA Times:

"On June 16, Atari will release the much-anticipated "Ghostbusters" title...there is intense consumer interest in this game, and it brought together the core of the original cast for voice work - two facts that have restarted the dormant "Ghostbusters" filmmachinery."

"Ivan Reitman, producer and director of the two films, said the video game essentially hit the restart button on the franchise."

I've never watched any of the Ghostbusters movies, but I understand that many a movie buff will rejoice at the announcement of a new installment in this venerated series. However, the idea that a movie-to-game adaptation is going to "revive" a franchise seems silly to me. Gamers know all too well that, with very few exceptions (such as Capcom's Aladdin game for the SNES as well as the various LOTR games that have been released simultaneously with their movie counterparts), video games based on movies are nothing more than quick cash-ins for corporations to make a few extra millions off the success of a blockbuster movie franchise.

Now, there are signs that indicate this game won't be the typically worthless corporate rip-off crap gamers are used to. It's not being released as part and parcel of a movie release, so it needs to be a product that stands out on its own merits; secondly, it's been in production for a significant amount of time (some, as the article points out, would argue it's been in production for too long!), meaning that game-breaking glitches and bugs won't be a source of consternation for gamers who are becoming increasingly impatient with technical improprieties in video games. All in all, gaming fansites and magazines have been giving it fairly positive press, though to label it as a gaming hype juggernaut is probably overstating things. I'm don't think the article is trying to say that, though...

If the Ghostbusters brand name is strong enough, however, even harsh reviews won't deter good sales - and, consequentially, the movie sequel Aykroyd wants - because despite the complaints and poor reviews from the hardcore gaming populace, movie-to-game tie-ins DO often sell gangbusters at retail, even if they are dwarfed by their bigscreen film counterparts. The question is: Can Aykroyd hope to fall back on this if the game is indeed a critical failure? Can the specter of a new Ghostbusters movie potentially propel sales of the game, as well (methinks this is the REAL purpose of the article, FWIW). Most importantly: Is this game look like it's going to be anything particularly memorable? I certainly could care less for it, but not being a Ghostbusters fan anyway, I'm not the target audience for the product in question. For those of you out there who do happen to consider yourselves Ghostbusters fans, though...anything to add?